A World Vision Child Protection Officer meets with Sabina* (r) and Kibset* (l) at Morpus School

Sabina, a 15-year-old girl in West Pokot, Kenya, has escaped a forced marriage and is working to prevent other girls from undergoing Female Genital Mutilation or Cutting. Sabina was married off immediately after undergoing FGM/C at age 13.

She recalls that sorrowful day: "I just heard from my siblings that someone was bringing beer home (a sign of people coming for a bride), and in no time I was whisked away forcefully by several men."

He has become the face of Child Protection in West Pokot County, a voice for the protection of girls escaping the violence of Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting (FGM/C), child marriage and neglect. Meet James Lokuk, Head Teacher of Morpus Primary School in West Pokot. The eighth-born of 11 children, James (53) has 8 children of his own with his wife, Jane. “I was born here in Morpus area, and I went to this same school and even wore this uniform,” he quipped, pointing at the maroon sweater, yellow shirt and maroon shorts worn by the children.

“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” 1 Peter 5:10

In November 2018 I had the opportunity to see World Vision’s Child Protection work in Bangladesh & India. For the past couple of months, I’ve been leaning heavily into this verse. How do I even begin to share about a trip, that was amazing, intense, beautiful, heartbreaking, joyful, made me angry at times and hopeful in others, and one that pretty much put me through a wringer of emotions? I jumped off the deep end with this one!

Dominica Chelatan (24) displays a rare trait, she has a photographic memory of her childhood. Her recollection of her upbringing speaks to the survival tactics she developed, living in a culture that had little regard for a girl child.

She was born into a large traditional Pokot family of twenty children. Her father was a village elder who was respected in the community. His words were like commands and nobody dared to disobey him. The sad thing is, he had no regard for education.

Children are a precious gift from God. As adults, we have the privilege and responsibility to care for them and help them live the full and abundant life God desires for them. Tragically, love and security are not the reality for three-quarters of the world’s children who experience some form of violence every year.

It is hard to accept, but the reality for the majority of children is a life of violence, and for some, exploitation. At least 1.7 billion of the 2.2 billion children in the world experience violence every year, in their homes, schools, or communities.

Essential human rights, liberty, and dignity are being torn from millions of people today. They’re sexually exploited, forced into labor, domestic servitude, and thrown into begging and stealing in an illicit multi-billion-dollar enterprise known as human trafficking.

Nearly 25 million people worldwide are trapped by trafficking, including 5.5 million children. In Guatemala, World Vision is working with parents, pastors, teachers, children, and youth to make trafficking history by ending violence and restoring hope.

More than 200 million women and girls around the world are living with the results of the dangerous practice of female genital mutilation (FGM/C), also known as cutting and female circumcision, according to a report by UNICEF, the U.N. children’s agency.

“I stopped begging on the streets with my father, because I go to school now,” says Mustaque, a 6-year-old boy who is one of twenty- five children participating in World Vision’s Child Friendly Space (CFS). Corneal scarring from measles left his father Murad (33) blind. Because Murad had never been to school he had no job skills and made his living by begging on the streets, often bringing his children along to help. World Vision Bangladesh’s Child Protection Program identified Mustaque, enrolled him in the CFS, saving him from becoming part of the next generation of beggars.

When Christine was 11, her father had plans for her to marry. But Christine said she imagined a different future and dreamed of pursuing an education.

Her family of 10 lived near a World Vision program in West Pokot, Kenya. Among World Vision’s priorities were eradication of female genital mutilation and child marriage, which were rampant in the area.

Christine decided to run away rather than marry, and when World Vision learned of her desperate situation, they stepped in to help.

World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender.